Marcus Lattimore talks Bobby Bentley

Former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore has nothing but great things to say about his former coach at Byrnes High Schools in Duncan, S.C., and current running backs coach at South Carolina, Bobby Bentley. Bentley coached the former All-America running back at Byrnes in 2006 and 2009.

“It’s not always about football,” Lattimore said. “At the end of the day, I think the culture that you create within your program can win you a few games, even if things on the field aren’t going well. It’s the discipline. It’s the respect. Those lessons of accountability, those are the things I learned from Coach Bentley. He was my high school head coach.”

Lattimore is in his first year as coach at Heathwood Hall in Columbia. Lattimore and the Highlanders begin their season on Thursday night against the Oakwood Prep Knights.

“Due to some unfortunate decisions by Rakym, he has been suspended indefinitely from our program,” Martin said in the release. “I will continue to help Rakym grow as a young man even though basketball is not part of our relationship right now.”

The sophomore guard averaged 5.6 points and 1.3 assists per game for the Gamecocks in 2016.

Surprise, surprise

In the Gamecocks’ first 13 preseason camp practices, a handful of surprise players stepped up, according to The State’s Josh Kendall. Freshman wide receiver Shi Smith has been one of those unexpected standouts.

“Everyone knew the 5-foot-10, 179-pound wide receiver was a good player — ESPN considered him the best prospect in the state – but cornerback Jamyest Williams was supposed to be the newcomer everyone was talking about this fall,” Kendall wrote. “Instead, it’s Smith who is turning the most heads and headed for a big role.”

New offer out

“They watched my film and they watched whenever I went up there to do camp,” Griffin said of the Gamecocks, who’ve hosted him twice this year. “They said I did a great job at camp. They liked the way I move and how I can run.”

Griffin is teammates with fellow Class of 2019 prospect and South Carolina commit Ahdarrious Gee.

4-star OT leaning another way

Four-star offensive tackle Dylan Wonnum has South Carolina on his radar, but Auburn leads for his services right now, he told SEC Country’s Ben Wolk.

“I’m actually leaning toward Auburn,” the 6-5, 279-pound prospect said. “Other than that, everything is going good. When I went there, something just stood out more than every other college in the SEC.”

With his older brother, D.J., a sophomore defensive end/outside linebacker at South Carolina, the Gamecocks were long considered the favorites for the Tucker (Ga.) High School standout.

Praise for former South Carolina OT

Former South Carolina OT Brandon Shell graded out as the No. 2 offensive tackle in the AFC in Week 1 of the NFL preseason, according to Pro Football Focus, via The Big Spur.

Shell, the great nephew of former All-Pro tackle and NFL coach Art Shell, started 47 consecutive games for the Gamecocks from 2012-15. The 6-5 tackle was a fifth-round pick of the New York Jets in the 2016 NFL Draft.